Memories of a Family
by Izzy Gerard
Summary: It's the last day before graduation, and the members of New Directions are feeling a bit nostalgic. One-shot. Rated T for language. Oh, and for adorableness and cool words. And I always rate stuff "T".


**Okay, so if Fanfiction had a genre of "adorable", I'd probably choose this one. As a contrast to my previous story, "Death Brings Us Closer", (insert shameless plug here) this story is all about happy stuff. It starts a little sad and nostalgic, but at the end, it's all sappy, cheesy happiness. Everyone ends up with someone! And they're all too. Effing. Adorable. The pairings are pretty apparent as the story progresses, but obviously there's some cute Puckleberry here, otherwise it wouldn't have shown up in your search.**

**Anyway, so I hope y'all enjoy! (I'm sorry, I'm in Arkansas, and I had to restrain myself from putting "y'all" in there about ten times. I needed to indulge my southern accent just this once.) As always, I don't own Glee, Fox, the characters on Glee, the colleges mentioned in this story, "Seasons of Love" from Rent, Rent (duh), "Disgusting" by Ke$ha (I don't normally listen to pop, but this was in a fanmix, and it's actually really good), "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain, "Live Like We're Dying" by Kris Allen, or "You and I" by Ingrid Michaelson. It's the Ken Tanaka gene pool of songs up in here! **

**I have. No. Shame.**

* * *

><p>Noah and Rachel walked down the hallway silently. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her. It was eerily quiet in the school, none of the seniors speaking. It was the last day before graduation, and everyone was saying goodbye. They had glee club later, where they would all say goodbyes to their surrogate family, being together last time before leaving forever. It wasn't a happy occasion for the glee club, because that long-awaited graduation day came too soon after the glee club won Nationals and truly united as a family. They had all developed amicable relationships with everyone in the club, and now it was ending. They were friends, close now, and they couldn't stand the thought of leaving.<p>

This thought affected Noah and Rachel the most. Rachel had been accepted to Juilliard, and Noah to NYU. At first, he didn't want to tell her, and he asked her to let him keep it to himself until he was sure. Rachel, as the amazing girlfriend he knew she was, made him improve his grades and apply to colleges around the country, ranging from Berkeley to Oberlin. He hadn't let her see the letters, preferring to keep them to himself, which Rachel dutifully respected. When she saw a letter, she pretended she didn't. She never looked inside, honoring Noah's wishes.

Then, one day, he walked up to her with a piece of paper.

-Flashback-

"_What's that, Noah?" Rachel asked, and he smiled as he approached her at her locker. He couldn't wait to see her face._

"_Close your eyes." He commanded, and she shrugged, complying. She heard the sound of unfolding paper, and she grew even more confused. What was in the paper? "Open." He said, and she did so. She saw that it was letter. She skimmed it, and suddenly, her eyes went wide._

"_Noah, is this…?"_

"_Is this an acceptance letter to NYU?" He asked, finishing her question for her, and all she could do was nod dumbly. "Hell yes, it is."_

"_Oh, Noah!" She exclaimed, latching onto his neck. "I'm so proud of you!" She pulled away and kissed him as passionately as she could in a high school hallway. "Oh, you're amazing."_

"_I did it for you, Rach." Noah said, and she looked at him, confused. "I would've never had the patience or the attention span to apply myself, and I just couldn't bear to let you leave for New York, knowing that I'd be a Lima loser for the rest of my life. I wanted to be with you in New York, so I gave up on all the stuff I had been doing and I started working towards getting into NYU for music."_

"_You're going to Tisch?" She asked, and he nodded._

"_Damn straight." He smiled, and she kissed him again._

"_I love you so much." She said, and he nodded._

"_I love you too, babe." He smiled and pulled her closer._

-Flashback-

So, she and Noah had a great relationship. They became great friends after their 12th place finish in Nationals, and they skirted around their relationship for months before Santana—literally—locked them in a bathroom until they worked out their feelings… worked out meaning jumped each other's bones. That made for interesting conversation when Santana let them out. They had dated all through the year, and they'd taken New Directions to Nationals for a second time with the pair as the leaders. Finn had had a major storm-out when Rachel and Noah declared their relationship, effectively ending his affiliation with the glee club.

-Flashback-

"_I can't believe you!" Finn yelled. "After everything I've given, everything I've sacrificed, you go and throw it all away."_

"_I'm sorry, Finn." Rachel muttered, and the tall boy shook his head._

"_I've done everything so you could be happy. I've given up my popularity and my position on the football team so we could be together, and you just threw that back in my face. How do you think that makes me feel, Rachel? How do you think that makes me feel?" He asked._

"_I don't know." She replied quietly._

"_Betrayed," he spat, "it makes me feel betrayed. You've done this, Rachel. You've ruined everything."_

"_Okay, let's just chill, okay, Hudson?" Noah asked, walking over to the trembling girl. He put his arm around her. "Who says you have any right to talk to Rachel that way? She didn't do anything to you, and she deserves better than your insulting, lying ass anyway."_

"_Just shut up, Puck." Finn glared. "You just want what I have."_

"_Really? You're telling me I want to get custom fit jeans because I'm too tall to shop anywhere normal, and I want to arrive early every time I think about sex?" Noah asked. "Because I'm pretty sure I'm fine without it."_

"_Shut the hell up, Puckerman. You don't know what the hell you're talking about. This is between Rachel and I, so butt out." Finn ordered, but Noah only tightened his grip on Rachel's shoulders._

"_Exactly. It's about Rachel, which makes it about me. You're talking to my girlfriend in a way that I don't appreciate." He said calmly, and Finn glared even harder._

"_She's not your girlfriend, Puck." Finn spat. "You'll be just like your father one day." This caused all the members of glee club, who were watching the display in horror, to gasp. Everyone knew something happened with Noah and his father, but it was just one of those things that you never talked about. Finn started to walk away as Noah grew angry and catapulted at the boy. Rachel stumbled back, Kurt and Santana there to catch her. She watched, terrified, as Noah pounded in Finn's face, yelling._

"_Not… like… him!" He called over and over, enunciating each word with a point. "You got that, Hudson? I'm nothing like my father. I'm _nothing_ like my father." It took Mike, Sam, and Blaine (who had recently transferred to McKinley) to get Noah off Finn. Blaine took him off to the side and tried to talk sense into him as Kurt and Santana reassured the diva that everything was okay._

"_Puck." Blaine said, as Noah glared daggers at the stumbling boy who was getting up off the ground. "Puck!" Noah still ignored him, his gaze indicating that he would fight again in a heartbeat. "Noah." Blaine tried softly, and the Mohawk-ed boy turned to face him. "Noah, look at me."_

"_What?" Noah spat._

"_Don't take it out on me because you're mad at Finn." Blaine said. "I need you to listen to me. Your girlfriend is over there in hysterics because you just beat up Finn in front of her. Kurt and Santana are trying to calm her down while I'm standing here talking to you." Noah whipped his head around to see that Rachel was, in fact, crying. "I need you to listen to me, Noah." Noah nodded and turned around, facing the other boy. "What Finn did, it was a dick move. He insulted you and your family, and he brought up something that he knew would hurt you. That's the thing about best friends. You tell them your secrets and you'll confide in each other so, if you ever have a fall-out, they can say the things they know will hurt the most._

"_But he's not worth it, Noah. You may want to punch his lights out and send him to Lima General for the rest of the year, but right now, your girlfriend needs you." Blaine said. "Don't make a mistake."_

_Noah looked up at the former Warbler and smiled. "You're alright, Anderson."_

"_Thanks," Blaine said, "I try."_

"_Kurt picked a good guy." Noah clapped Blaine on the shoulder before turning and walking towards the three over by the piano. Kurt had his arm around Rachel, reassuring her, while Santana was crouched in front of the slouching diva, holding the other girl's hands, talking to her._

"…_And I'll quit Cheerios before I let you both ruin the best relationship I've ever seen you two in." She said. "He loves you, Rach. I promise."_

"_I do," Noah said, walking up to them. "I do love you, Rach." She looked up at him, eyes wide, and he smiled. "I love you." Santana moved out of the way just in time for Rachel to jump into Noah's arms. He caught her with ease, laughing as she attacked him._

"_I love you too." She mumbled against his lips. He kissed her back and smiled into the kiss, spinning her around. "You're too perfect."_

"_I try." He shrugged, remembering Blaine's words. "Now, I don't want you to forget that. Don't forget that, no matter what," Noah took her hand from around his neck and put it on his chest, letting her feel his strong, consistent heartbeat, "that's for you. Only you." All the girls in the room sighed at his romanticism as Rachel smiled and rested her forehead against his. He set her down on the floor and put his hands on her hips. He kissed her forehead before pulling away, wrapping his arm around her. She leaned on him, and they sat down, Noah sitting in Finn's usual spot._

"_Is this isn't symbolism," he said, gesturing to his new seat, "I don't know what the hell is." Just at that moment, Mr. Schuester walked in._

"_Sorry, I'm late, guys, I had a—what happened?" He asked, seeing the blood on the floor and the happy couple sitting in front of him. Everyone laughed, and it was Santana who spoke up._

"_You don't want to know, Mr. Schue," the Latina said, intertwining her hands with Brittany's, "you really don't want to know."_

-Flashback-

Santana and Brittany walked down the hallway, their hands clasped. They walked past Noah and Rachel, who were in a similar position, and the Latina performed the secret handshake she'd made up with Rachel at one of their many sleepovers. The two girls continued on their way as Santana reminisced about the school year. So much had changed in that small amount of time. Noah and Rachel had gotten together, Noah had stopped going by Puck, Finn had quit glee, and she and Brittany had finally gotten together. So many other things had happened along the way, but at the thought of Brittany, Santana stopped thinking about anything else. She smiled as she looked at their intertwined hands.

"What?" Brittany asked, eyeing Santana suspiciously. The Latina shrugged and lifted their hands up, kissing the back of Brittany's palm.

"Just thinking about how much I love you." Santana smiled, and Brittany broke out into a grin. The blonde grinned and kissed Santana's cheek.

"I love you more."

"That's impossible, Britt." Santana smiled. "How could you love me more than I love you if I love you more than the world?" She asked.

"You're adorable." Brittany laughed, and they walked down the hallway, swinging their hands back and forth. Santana remembered the first day she and Brittany got together. It had been a good day for her, obviously. That was the first day of the rest of her life, after all.

It was also the day she became a clichéd sap. Shut up, she was in love. She could still kick ass.

-Flashback-

_Santana ran a hand through her hair as she adjusted her backpack strap. It was raining that day, which Santana liked. She stepped out into the parking lot, getting her t-shirt and jeans wet. She walked through the rain, the drops splashing against the asphalt. Her hair was plastered to her head now as she approached her car._

"_San?" A timid voice asked behind her, and she turned to see Brittany emerging from a row of cars. Santana raised an eyebrow, facing her best friend._

"_What's up, Britt?" She asked. _Did Brittany forget where her car was again? _Santana asked herself, internally sighing. That familiar pang in her stomach came back, and she tried to fight it, focusing on Brittany's words, not the lips coming out of them. _Fight it, Lopez. You have to fight it.

"_I have to tell you something." Brittany muttered._

"_Okay, but can we make it quick? I don't want to get even more wet."_

"_Yes, you do." The blonde replied. "You and I both know you love rain. I remember when we were five, it was raining, and you wanted to play tag, even though we would've gotten soaked. And we ended up doing it." Santana nodded, recalling the memory. "I'll always remember that day. That was the day I fell in love with my best friend." Santana's head snapped up to the girl, confused. "You're amazing, Santana. You're smart, pretty, funny, caring, kind, and fiercely protective. Plus your mom makes awesome pancakes." Brittany smiled. "You're quirky too. You love rain, and you love how it feels on your skin; you hate bridges because you're afraid that it will collapse; you once told me you wanted to adopt every stray puppy in world; and for some reason, you love me."_

"_Britt, I—"_

"_Wait, let me finish, please." Brittany said. Santana nodded dumbly, and Brittany continued. "For some reason, you chose me to love. I don't why, but you did. When you told me, though, I was being stupid Brittany, and I turned you down. That was the stupidest I'd ever been, and you and I both know I've had my stupid moments. But when I turned you down, it felt wrong because I knew that I was denying something I knew I couldn't lie about for much longer. I loved Artie, but I was in love with you. I am in love with you, Santana, and I don't think I can ever get over that." Brittany sighed. "I don't know if you can ever forgive me for what I did, but I just wanted to say—"_

_Brittany's speech was cut off as Santana dropped her bag and ran over, crashing their lips together. She tangled her hands in the blonde hair, and Brittany immediately responded, pulling Santana closer. Santana reveled in the kiss, her best friend's lips sending her brain reeling. This was happening, this was actually happening. Brittany was actually kissing her, and they were actually here. Santana pressed against Brittany in just the right way just the right amount, sending a shiver down both girls' spines. Brittany rubbed circle on the sliver of skin showing where Santana's shirt had ridden up. _

"_This can't be happening." Santana muttered against Brittany's lips._

"_It is. "Brittany said, pulling away. "I love you, Santana Lopez. I don't care if we stay in the closet or we're out and proud, I just want to be with you. I realized that I couldn't live without you, San, and it hurts when I'm not with you. My heart does one of those flippy things when I see you, and Ms. Pillsbury said that means that I love you."_

"_You're amazing." Santana smiled._

"_I know." Brittany smiled. "So, will you be my girlfriend?" She asked, and Santana kissed Brittany, cupping the blonde's cheek._

"_Absolutely."_

-Flashback-

So the two girls walked together, happily discussing college. Santana had gotten into NYU and Brittany was going to Juilliard, so they were close to Noah and Rachel, but they still had privacy. Santana was secretly proud of herself for getting out of this town, and Brittany was secretly extraordinarily proud of Santana for doing that. Brittany had gotten accepted into the dance program, and Santana was going to NYU for law. That reminded her of Blaine, who was also going to be in NYU for law. On the other side of the school, that very boy was talking to his boyfriend.

"Are you excited?" He asked. "It's our last day."

"Yeah," Kurt nodded, "but I'm also sad. I mean, glee club is my family. I don't want to lose it just yet."

"You won't, Kurt." Blaine smiled. "Half the glee club is going to New York with us. Rachel, Noah, Santana, and Brittany are all coming with us. And we can keep in touch with the others all the time."

"We don't know that Noah's going with Rachel." Kurt pointed out.

"He's whipped, Kurt. He'd follow her to China if she asked him." Blaine said, and Kurt chuckled.

"You have a point." Kurt nodded. "But I just feel like… nostalgic. I feel like it's all ending for good."

"It'll never end, Kurt." Blaine said, lifting Kurt's chin up so he could see the boy's eyes. "Glee club, like you said, is a family. You never leave your family. We might not see each other as often, but what we have here won't break. We're too damn special." Kurt smiled and leaned forward, both of them sharing a quick, sweet kiss. "You know, Kurt, when I first met you, I feel in love with your eyes instantly. They're such a brilliant shade of blue, like ice but… calming." Blaine mused. "Your eyes are amazing, as is every other part of you." They kissed again, and Kurt remembered the time Blaine surprised him with his transfer.

-Flashback-

_Kurt and the rest of the glee club had been running over the same dance steps for two hours. Nationals were in three weeks, and Mr. Schuester was working hard to get the group ready. "Come on, guys!" Their teacher yelled. "You can do it, I know it!"_

"_Mr. Schue," Rachel said, "even I think we should have a break, and that's saying something." The teacher looked at the panting students, the nearly empty water bottles, and he sighed._

"_Alright. Take ten minutes." Mr. Schuester nodded, and the glee kids thanked Rachel, something she greatly enjoyed. She sat with Noah, him playing with their hands like he usually did, as Santana and Brittany were on her left. Noah was muttering the song under his breath, and Rachel couldn't help but think that his innocence in that moment was adorable. She resisted the urge to kiss him, considering the fact that they were best friends, and he was probably pining over someone else. They talked to each other quietly, talking about the songs they were singing. Then, Mr. Schue called them back up, and Kurt and Rachel walked next to each other._

"_Hey, Kurt." Rachel smiled, and he smiled._

"_Hi, Rachel." He stood next to her in formation for the second number, and they were just about to start when Mr. Schue stopped._

"_Wait, we need one more person." Mr. Schue remembered._

"_Please, Mr. Schue," Kurt pleaded, "save us from your rapping."_

"_My rapping is great."_

"_Mr. S," Santana spoke up, "I was about to start a petition to make your rapping illegal." Mr. Schue sighed, but continued on._

"_Regardless, I'm not talking about myself. A new guy is coming into glee club today, and I wanted you all to welcome him."_

"_But Mr. Schue," Sam pointed out, "we have three weeks to get ready for Nationals. How can he learn all our dances and numbers in that time?"_

"_I can handle my own." A voice said behind them, and they turned to see Blaine leaning against a beam in a white button-down and jeans._

"_Blaine? What are you doing here?" Kurt asked, and Blaine handed him a piece of paper. "Oh, my God… oh, my God!" Kurt exclaimed and launched himself at Blaine. Blaine laughed and hugged Kurt back._

"_Why are we "oh, my God"-ing?" Artie asked._

"_Because, as of ten o'clock this morning, I'm a McKinley Titan." Blaine smiled, and Kurt pulled away. Blaine kept his arm around the boy's waist as they walked back to the group. "Mr. Schuester's been teaching me the dance steps, and I love the songs, so I already knew them. But I'm hopefully caught up with you guys."_

"_Welcome to New Directions, Blaine." Mercedes smiles, and they all clapped as Kurt beamed._

-Flashback-

The boys stood up and walked into English, where they sat across from Quinn and Artie. The two were smiling to each other, talking quietly. Artie held her hand as they discussed college. Artie had gotten accepted to Cal Tech for engineering, and Quinn was going to Stanford for medical school. After Quinn and Artie had gotten together, they both realized that they would both be going to school in California. That made their relationship easier. They were talking, when Quinn suddenly remembered when Artie had first asked her out.

-Flashback-

_Quinn had gotten to glee club early, hoping for some peace and quiet, but only to find Artie playing with the settings on an amp. No matter, Quinn thought, Artie's pretty quiet. Inwardly, though, Quinn smiled. Her attraction to the handicapped boy had hit her like a train not too long ago, and it confused her. She had never shown any indication of romantic feelings before, and now she was faced with this random crush on Artie Abrams._

_She walked towards the piano and sighed. She always played piano at home when she was stressed. Her hands slid over the ivory and ebony keys, and a tune came into her head. She played quietly, feeling the song envelop her as she played the notes. She felt her hands glide over the keys, pressing down at just the right spots to create a beautifully blended melody._

_When she had finished playing, she turned around and screamed, finding Artie sitting there, watching her intently. "God, Artie," she laughed, leaning her elbow against the top of the piano and resting her head on it, "you scared the shit out of me."_

"_Sorry." He apologized, and she shook her head, brushing it off. "Hey, um, I wanted to, uh, ask you a question."_

"_Shoot." She nodded, walking over to the chairs._

"_Okay, will you go out with me?" He asked, and Quinn spun around. Did he really just say what she thought he said? "I wanted to ask you out because, you know, it's the last year of high school, and I vowed to do everything I wanted to do in high school before we graduated. Going on a date with you is the only one I haven't completed." He smiled, and Quinn couldn't help but smile back. Artie was great, really. He was nice, and kind, and smart, and funny. Not to mention, the boy had more soul in his fingerless gloves than Aretha Franklin. Of course she'd go out with him._

"_Sure," Quinn smiled, "I'd love to. I really like you, Artie. I was actually hoping you'd ask me."_

"_Really?" He asked as his eyes widened, and his eyebrows rose. She nodded, and he brought out into a grin. "Awesome. So, when are you free?"_

"_I really don't do much anymore after school, so basically whenever." She replied, and he nodded._

"_How's Friday at seven?" He asked._

"_Sounds awesome." She replied, using his words from before, and he smiled._

-Flashback-

Quinn reflected on the memory with a smile, as she leaned forward and kissed Artie, remembering their first kiss too.

-Flashback-

_The two were having a great time at the dinner Artie planned. They were in New York for Nationals a second time, so he told her to wear something nice, and he took her to a fancy meal on the water. They ate outside at sunset, and Artie even asked for the band to serenade Quinn with "Save The Last Dance For Me". After the song was over, Artie rolled out from under the table and rolled next to her, facing her._

"_The bonus of being handicapped is I can move my seat whenever I want. And I get great parking spots." We laughed, and he leaned over, taking my hand. "Quinn, I can't thank you enough for letting me take you out that time. You're amazing, and I'm the boy in the wheelchair. I'll never be able to walk with you on the beach at sunset, I'll never be able to sweep you off your feet and spin you around, and you'll never be able to save the last dance for me because I'm kind of unable to dance; but none of that matters to me. You're in a class of your own, and you're beautiful. I'll tell you that every day that we're together. You're flawless." He said. He was looking down at their hands by the end of his speech, and when he looked up, Quinn had tears in her eyes. "Oh, that's just great. I made my girlfriend cry."_

"_Artie." Quinn said, and he looked up at her. She removed her hand and put it on the side of his face. She moved so their foreheads were touching. "Shut up." She smiled and tilted her head. Their lips met and sparks flew as he kissed her back. They pulled back and looked at each other. They smiled, and he moved forward again, kissing her harder this time. She smiled against his lips. Her hand moved to his hair, and one of his hands flew behind her neck, pulling her closer. They sat like that for what felt like three seconds but was probably three minutes before pulling away, this time staying apart. "You're not just the boy in the wheelchair to me."_

-Flashback-

Then their teacher came in and started lecturing them on physics, but all Quinn could focus on her boyfriend, playing with her hands. She smiled and looked over at him. He winked and mouthed, "I love you", and her day got considerably brighter.

Then glee club came, and everyone was sad. Brittany had started crying, Mike was consoling a depressed Tina, Blaine was speaking quietly to a tearing up Kurt, and Sam was holding Mercedes' hand as she rambled about her favorite moments in glee club. Mr. Schuester had just walked in to see the depressed teens, and he smiled sadly. "Guys," he said, "I just wanted to say…" he paused, taking a deep breath so he wouldn't burst out into tears like his students, "it's been a great run. We've won some, we've lost some, and we've kicked ass and taken names."

"Damn straight." Noah muttered, while simultaneously comforting his teary-eyed girlfriend. A few of the members laughed quietly before letting their teacher continue.

"I know a lot of you are worried that we'll all fall out of touch, but I realized that not all hope is lost." He said. "I've been thinking, and I thought that maybe we could set up a barbecue or something at least once a year during the summer, so we could all get together." He explained. "What we are is more than just a club. We're a family, and I know that I can't even stand to lose you guys. You were the first glee club I ever coached, and I'll coach others, but it will never be the same. And from what I can tell, you all don't want this family to break apart either."

"Mr. Schue," Rachel said timidly, "can I say something?"

"Of course," he nodded, and the diva wiped tears from her eyes, standing up. This time, however, there were no jeers and taunts, only sad smiles.

"I'm going to try and make this short, because if I rant, I'll end up crying." Rachel said softly. "It's no secret I'm an overachiever. I've been in several clubs, some that I didn't even need to sign up for, but I did. But none of them have changed me the way this club has. This club, this group, was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I can't stand to let it fall away just after we truly all became friends. It was hard at first, getting used to each other, because we were all so different. We came from different social circles, different backgrounds, different families, and we grew up with different expectations. But now, at the end, we're all the same. Because this family has shaped us into the people we are today. The sophomores who joined in the beginning of the year, they're gone. We're seniors now. We're a nationally ranked show choir, we're a graduating class, and this club is the best damn thing that ever happened to this town. We can't lose sight of that, not even for a minute.

"What we have is special. And I can't stand to see something special be wasted." She finished, and everyone smiled at the girl.

"Group hug!" They heard Santana of all people call, and everyone laughed, standing up. Tears started falling from everyone's eyes—Noah would blame it on the fact that he was allergic to Kurt's wardrobe—and they all hugged each other. Rachel smiled at the group around her and remembered the songs that won them Nationals.

-Flashback-

_The lights were dimmed as the glee club walked onstage. They were dressed in a simple white t-shirts—the girls crew cut and the guys v-neck—and boot cut jeans with their usual black Converses. They all faced the audience in a line. They had planned four songs: one simple, one complicated, one duet, and one group number dedicated to remembering their years of glee club. This was their simple song, and the only thing standing out were Noah and Rachel's black button-downs, deeply contrasting the groups white. They were on opposite sides of the line, both on one end. From Noah, who was on the far left, were Sam, then Tina, then Kurt, then Blaine, then Mercedes, then Quinn, then Artie, then Mike, and then Rachel brought up the far right._

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes  
>Five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear<br>Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes  
>How do you measure, measure a year<p>

_Everyone sang out, hands at their sides. The glee club members stood stock-still until the drums picked up.  
><em>

In daylight, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee,

In inches, in miles, in laughter and strife,  
>In five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes<br>How do you measure a year in the life

_Everyone started clapping, moving freely in their spots. They clapped, stomped their feet, and looked at the other members, smiling. The crowd immediately responded, clapping along and standing._

How about Love  
>how about love<br>how about love  
>measure in love<br>seasons of love  
>seasons of love<p>

_Mercedes sang, belting out her part of the song. Everyone else in the club ooh-ed and ah-ed, clapping quietly as the diva sang._

Five hundred twenty five thousand  
>six hundred minutes<br>Five hundred twenty five thousand  
>journeys to plan<br>Five hundred twenty five thousand  
>six hundred minutes<br>how do you measure the life of a woman  
>or a man<p>

_Blaine, surprisingly, took the next part, his clear tenor ringing through. He added his own little nerdy twist to the verse, but it worked, complimenting Mercedes' voice nicely._

In truth that she learned  
>or in times that he cried<br>In the bridges he burned  
>or the way that she died<p>

_Kurt looked at Blaine as the boy made the silly face he made whenever he sang out, holding a note. He felt his heart flutter as he looked at the boy and thought, "That's my boyfriend. I have a boyfriend." He smiled again and turned back to face the crowd, joining the ensemble to sing the next verse._

Its time now to sing out  
>though the story never ends<br>lets celebrate remember a year  
>in the life of friends<p>

_Everyone clapped loudly as Mercedes belted her part. Everyone sang the chorus, and Mercedes sang out, landing the part of Joanne perfectly._

How about Love

(Oh, you've got to, you've got to remember to love)  
>how about love<p>

(You know that love is a gift from up above)  
>how about love<p>

(Share love, give love, spread love)  
>measure in love<p>

(Measure, measure your life in lo—ve)  
>seasons of love<br>seasons of love

(Measure your life, measure your life in love)

_As the song ended, the crowd was up and cheering. The glee kids looked out in awe before running into place for the next number. __**(A/N: Please be patient with me, I don't do well with describing actions.)**__ The techno beat started playing, and the first half of the kids started dancing. With Mike leading, they walked downstage as Mike made some fluid, yet robotic moment._

My heart booms at the speed of light.  
>But the exit signs always on my mind, always in my sight.<br>I can say that I really want to stay,  
>But the devil inside always wins the fight, always gets his way.<p>

_Rachel sang, grapevining over to the other side. They sprang into action, immediately mixing with the other half. Noah walked over to her, and she smiled slyly, pulling him by his collar towards the middle of the stage. He stopped, facing the audience, his shirt rumpled._

Jump out the window gotta get out on the highway,  
>Think things have getting too attached I need an escape.<br>I'm seeing stars and there is nothing more that I hate, baby.

_She leaned over and whispered the line into his ear._

There is something that I gotta say.

_She spun away from him, and he watched her dance with Brittany and Mike. They danced around as she sang out, amazing Noah even more than he thought possible._

It's disgusting, how I love you.  
>God, I hate me. I could kill you.<br>Cause your messing up my name.  
>Gotta walk my talk my fame, but I just want to touch your face.<br>It's disgusting.

_She turned around to face him, strutting towards him. She took his hand and walked around, pulling it over her shoulder and leading him forward, as planned. He watched as the other glee members walked behind him._

It's disgusting, how you changed me  
>from a bandit to a baby.<br>Thinking about gotta change my name,  
>If I'm gonna walk this walk of shame.<br>Look at what you do to me.  
>It's disgusting.<p>

_Brittany and Santana flanked Rachel as she stood off to the side. She was sending mock glares at Noah, and it made him want to laugh. But he stayed with his smitten look—yeah, he knew "smitten"—and she walked over slowly; the way she swayed her hips seemed intoxicating to Noah._

My mind blinks like a traffic light.  
>It's green and red and stop and go. Changing all the time.<br>And it makes me scared, that I haven't loved.  
>That it's still right here, more or—or—or less.<p>

_She stood in front him, singing to him. He stared as she sang, like he was told._

Jump out of traffic, ya, I gotta go my own way.  
>My head is slipping, too intense I need an escape<br>I'm seeing stars and there is nothing more than I hate, baby.  
>There is something that I gotta say.<p>

_Artie wheeled forward, pulling Rachel into his lap. She smiled and sat with him, singing to Noah while holding onto Artie as he rolled around Noah. She got up from Artie's chair, and Mike replaced him. He danced her around, and when he spun her, she spun away from him, only to have Sam catch her. He smiled and leaned, but she slipped out of his grasp and pushed him forward, sending him stumbling. Then, Kurt approached her, only to shake his head and moved forward, causing her to grin. Blaine walked in front of her and got down on one knee, but she sent him sprawling, leaving him in a similar state as Sam._

It's disgusting, how I love you.  
>God, I hate me. I could kill you.<br>Cause your messing up my name.  
>Gotta walk my talk my fame, but I just want to touch your face.<br>It's disgusting.  
>It's disgusting, how you changed me.<br>From a bandit to a baby.  
>Thinking about gotta change my name,<br>If I'm gonna walk this walk of shame.  
>Look at what you do to me.<br>It's disgusting.  
><em><br>She approached Noah, and he smiled hopefully. She surveyed him, saw the girls behind him, and she rolled her eyes. She pushed him back into the girls, but they pushed him forward, sending him to wrap his arms around her. The glee club moved and started dancing robotically, the lights flashing. She spun around in his arms, facing the audience._

Chapter by chapter, I'm falling faster and faster,  
>Becoming manic and magic it's so romantic I panic, oh.<br>Hit the eject button but it must be stuck, something's up.  
>What did you slip into my drink? Baby.<br>_  
>The glee club exploded, dancing around as she got out of Noah's grasp, dancing around him. But this time, she was smiling, and he was responding, taking her hand as she pointed at him and leaning in when she sang to him.<em>

It's disgusting, how I love you.  
>God, I hate me. I could kill you.<br>Cause your messing up my name.  
>Gotta walk my talk my fame, but I just want to touch your face.<br>It's disgusting.

_The group moved so Noah and Rachel were in the rows of glee kids, as they all fell into a synchronized dance. They slid, pumped their fists, and spun around. The rest of the dance involved Mike and Brittany flipping a lot, and the rest of them spinning, sliding, and using a lot of synchronized hand movements._

It's disgusting, how you changed me.  
>From a bandit to a baby.<br>Thinking about gotta change my name,  
>If I'm gonna walk this walk of shame.<br>Look at what you do to me.  
>It's disgusting.<p>

_The dance broke up, and Noah found his way back to Rachel again, wrapping his arms around her. She leaned back into him as she sang softer now. The instruments cut out as the rest of the glee kids stood around them._

Oh, it's disgusting  
>Oh, it's disgusting<br>Look at what you do to me.  
>Oh, look at what you do to me.<br>It's disgusting.  
>Disgusting.<p>

_The crowd cheered again as the glee kids successfully performed another number. The other glee kids ran offstage, leaving Rachel and Noah onstage alone. The lighting changed, and they walked to the other ends of the stage. Noah sang the first verse, staring at Rachel, who was looking out into the audience. He poured all the emotion he could into that song, telling Rachel just how much he loved her._

The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful  
>Stop me and steal my breath.<br>And emeralds from mountains thrust toward the sky  
>Never revealing their depth.<p>

_Rachel took the second part, singing almost absentmindedly as she looked down at the floor, instead of at the boy on the other side of the stage._

Tell me that we belong together,  
>Dress it up with the trappings of love.<br>I'll be captivated;  
>I'll hang from your lips,<br>Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above.  
><em><br>__She turned and started walking towards the middle of stage, hands still in pockets and still looking down. Noah noticed and walked towards her, meeting her in the middle_

I'll be your crying shoulder,  
>I'll be love's suicide<br>I'll be better when I'm older,  
>I'll be the greatest fan of your life.<p>

_When they sang together, Rachel couldn't help but shiver. They met in the center of the stage, and she took in how different they were as she sang._

And rain falls angry on the tin roof  
>As we lie awake in my bed.<br>You're my survival, you're my living proof.  
>My love is alive - not dead.<p>

_She saw his hand move to take hers. She looked up at him and saw complete love in his eyes. She couldn't help but smile as he intertwined their fingers, singing._

Tell me that we belong together.  
>Dress it up with the trappings of love.<br>I'll be captivated,  
>I'll hang from your lips,<br>Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above  
><em><br>_I'll be your crying shoulder,  
>I'll be love's suicide<br>I'll be better when I'm older,  
>I'll be the greatest fan of your life.<br>_  
><em>_They sang together, circling each other, channeling their inner sophomore glee kid. They sang together, playing off each other's actions and reactions, picking up every little piece they could get and using it to benefit the performance._

And I've dropped out, I've burned up, I've fought my way back from the dead.  
>I've tuned in, turned on, remembered the things that you said<br>_  
><em>_They held the note, and then dropped it off, singing to each other again. This time, they walked back to the position of the other person, switching sides of the auditorium as they sang out._

I'll be your crying shoulder,  
>I'll be love's suicide<br>I'll be better when I'm older,  
>I'll be the greatest fan of your...<p>

_They repeated the chorus again, staring at each other longingly._

I'll be your crying shoulder,  
>I'll be love's suicide<br>I'll be better when I'm older,  
>I'll be the greatest fan of your life.<br>_  
><em>_They both moved away, singing quietly until they walked offstage, effectively ending the song._

The greatest fan of your life.  
>...greatest fan of your life.<p>

_Rachel and Noah rushed to pull their Oxfords off, almost ripping the buttons in the process. Underneath their Oxfords were brightly colored polo shirts. Rachel was sporting a bright blue one, and Noah had a red one. The rest of the glee kids were around them, and they all waited for the music to start. Once it did, they all rushed back onstage. This was their favorite song to perform. It wasn't staged, there were no rules, no choreography; they just had to sing._

_Blaine took the initiative and started off the singing. Mike and Artie clapped, getting the crowd up on their feet once again. Blaine pulled Kurt with him towards the front, singing to him. He was dancing in his spot, knees bent as he clapped and sang to his smiling boyfriend._

Sometimes we fall down, can't get back up  
>We're hiding behind skin that's too tough<br>How come we don't say I love you enough  
>Till it's to late, it's not too late<p>

_Sam followed Blaine's lead, singing the second verse. He and Mercedes stepped forward, and he pointed to her to her, giving her a half-smile._

Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come  
>And we could make a feast from these crumbs<br>And we're all staring down the barrel of a gun  
>So if your life flashed before you,<br>What would you wish you would've done  
><em><br>The rest of the group joined, all the pairs together, arms all around each other as they swayed. The guys stepped forward, showing the 8, 6, and 4 for the numbers, and they danced with the song's lyrics. _

Yeah, we gotta start  
>Looking at the hands of the time we've been given<br>If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking  
>If every second counts on a clock that's ticking<br>Gotta live like we're dying

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to  
>Turn it all around or to throw it all away<br>We gotta tell them that we love them  
>While we got the chance to say<br>Gotta live like we're dying

_Santana, Brittany, Quinn, and Rachel all stepped up, harmonizing as they took the next verse. They played off each other, grinning. As they sang, they looked at their respective partners, smiling._

And if your plane fell out of the skies  
>Who would you call with your last goodbye<br>Should be so careful who we live out our lives  
>So when we long for absolution,<br>There'll no one on the line, yeah

_Noah, Artie, and Mike took the next part. Noah wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist from behind, swaying to the rhythm. Artie pulled Quinn into his lap, holding her hands in his as he sang to her. Mike took Tina and danced with her, her laughing in the crook of his neck, as he spun them, serenading her._

Yeah, we gotta start  
>Looking at the hands of the time we've been given<br>If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking  
>If every second counts on a clock that's ticking<br>Gotta live like we're dying

_Everyone jumped up to sing the next part. They clapped and everyone sang to everyone, pointing at random other glee members, even for no important reason at all._

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to  
>Turn it all around or to throw it all away<br>We gotta tell them that we love them  
>While we got the chance to say<br>Gotta live like we're dying

_Rachel and Noah took the line, hands intertwined._

Like we're dying, oh, like we're dying…  
>Like we're dying, oh, like we're dying…<p>

_The group danced around, clapped leisurely, as they laughed at their silliness._

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to  
>Turn it all around or to throw it all away<br>We gotta tell them that we love them  
>While we got the chance to say<br>Gotta live like we're dying

_Mike and Brittany danced while Blaine took the next part._

You never know a good thing till it's gone  
>You never see a crash till it's head on<br>Why do we think we're right when we're dead wrong  
>You never know a good thing till it's gone<p>

_Blaine sang the first two lines of the chorus, but then the rest of the club picked up as Blaine let his natural vibrato ring out._

Yeah, we gotta start

Looking at the hands of the time we've been given  
>If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking<br>If every second counts on a clock that's ticking  
>Gotta live like we're dying<br>_  
><em>We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to  
>Turn it all around or to throw it all away<br>We gotta tell them that we love them  
>While we got the chance to say<br>Gotta live like we're dying

_The glee club members threw all the could into those performances, knowing full well that those would be their last competitive performances as a glee club._

Like we're dying, oh, like we're dying…

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to  
>Turn it all around or to throw it all away<br>We gotta tell them that we love them  
>While we got the chance to say<br>Gotta live like we're dying…

_The song ended, and the glee kids thought the audience was going to explode with applause. They smiled and bowed, waving as the walked away, but the cheering still hadn't stopped. They all listened in disbelief as Vocal Adrenaline walked forward._

"_Looks like you've got some competition." Rachel smirked as VA's lead female walked by. The lead spun around to stare at Rachel in disbelief, and the diva just winked and walked with the rest of the glee club, who were mock-complimenting VA's "standing ovation"._

"_They must really like our cleaning job," Kurt mused, "because we just wiped the floor with your asses." __**(A/N: It was three in the morning when I wrote this and the original was, "they must really like their cleaning crew. Chop, chop; let's cook. Ronald McDonald is hungry. You all are lucky my half-asleep brain threw that out and managed to salvage some coherent thought.) **__Everyone laughed, and they walked away, happy to have finally put Vocal Adrenaline in its place._

-Flashback-

Rachel smiled, as everyone sat back down. Noah, instead of holding her hand, pulled her down to sit in his lap. She smiled as he placed light kisses up and down her neck. "I love you," he mumbled against her skin. Others were in similarly adorable positions. Brittany had her head in Santana's lap, and Santana was playing with the blonde girl's hair; Mika and Tina were leaning on each other, playing with each other's hands; Sam and Mercedes were whispering to each other quietly, smiling; Quinn was sitting in Artie's lap, laughing as he pushed them up on the back wheel; and Kurt had his head on Blaine's shoulder as he sang quietly. Mr. Schuester looked at the students, pleased with how much they'd grown. They had developed from the twelve students who were at each other's throats, to the great, strong, connected people Mr. Schuester saw before him.

"So everyone," Mr. Schuester smiled, "I think, in honor of your graduation, we all go around and say our favorite part of glee club." They all shrugged and nodded, and Brittany stood up. She walked to the middle of the room and sat down, crossing her legs. "Um, Brittany?"

"What?" She asked.

"Britt, what are you doing?" Santana asked, and Brittany smiled.

"We can't go around and share if we're in rows! Circles go around, so I'm starting a circle." She said, and you couldn't help but smile at the absentminded girl. Santana walked over and joined her girlfriend, which led to everyone else joining the girls. Mr. Schuester smiled at his students and joined the circle in between Mike and Quinn. Artie sat next her in his chair, and she reached up to hold his hand.

"So, Brittany," Mr. Schuester smiled, "would you like to start?"

"Sure!" Brittany replied. "Um, well, my least favorite part of glee was whenever we fought. But I know that families fight a lot, so that's okay. But my favorite part was when he performed 'Disgusting' at Nationals, because we got to dance a lot, and Santana looked really sexy." Santana blushed, and Brittany kissed the girl's cheek and held her hand. Everyone smiled at their adorableness and moved on.

"My least favorite part," Santana mused, "was when Finn yelled at Rach. He was a jerk." Rachel smiled, and Santana bumped shoulders with her. "either that or when Amy Winehouse died. That was depressing. But my favorite part, definitely, was the look on Vocal Adrenaline's face when we kicked their asses and took first place." Everyone in the circle cheered, and Santana smiled. "What about you, Rach?"

"Um, my least favorite part was… I don't really have a least favorite part." Rachel shrugged. "I have a lot to be upset about, but none of it would've gotten me here today. But Kurt coming back to McKinley, and Blaine transferring over, were definitely highlights. We had more than the required members for competition, and I guess it felt good to have two of my friends back." She said, and Kurt reached out. Rachel leaned forward and high-fived his hand.

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Noah said, "but my least favorite part of glee was when Vocal Adrenaline threw those eggs at my Jewish-American princess's face." Everyone made murmurs of agreement, and Rachel blushed. "And my favorite part was when I got to see my daughter for the first time." He looked over at Quinn, and she grabbed his hand, squeezing it quickly before the pulled apart. Rachel kissed his cheek, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Oh, gag me with a plastic spoon." Quinn muttered, and Rachel scoffed.

"Excuse me? You and Artie are probably the most sickeningly adorable thing I've seen. You both give Britt and San a run for their money." She replied, and everyone laughed.

"Did you not hear your boyfriend ten seconds ago?" Quinn asked. "I literally thought unicorns were going to come running around, and the sky was going to turn into a rainbow." Rachel laughed, and Quinn smiled. "But seriously, Britt and San would probably win."

"Amen to that." Mercedes agreed, and Santana blushed again while Brittany just stared at the ceiling.

"Did you know that my middle name is Sam?" She asked Santana.

"Suzanne. It's Suzanne." Santana corrected kindly.

"Who?" Brittany asked, and Santana let her head hang, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"Yep," Tina nodded, "sickeningly cute."

"So Brittany and Santana win the cutest couple award. Who wins the most obvious couple award?" Kurt asked.

"You and Blaine, no doubt." Artie said. "Who gets the award for the couple most likely to break up six times before getting married?"

"Rachel and Noah, obviously." Blaine nodded. "Most random couple?"

"Quinn and Artie." Rachel replied. "And I think the funniest couple goes to Mercedes and Sam. You both crack me up."

"But you guys are runners-up for the most random couple." Santana replied. "When you said you guys were going out, I swear I thought Trouty Mouth had gone to the doctor and gotten prescribed horse pills by accident."

"Oh, you're so funny." Sam said sarcastically. "I think Mr. Schue wins the hopeless romantic award."

"Oh, yes!" Mercedes clapped, and everyone laughed.

"What do you mean?" Their teacher asked, and Quinn face-palmed. "How am I the hopeless romantic?"

"Mr. Schue, after you and Mrs. Schue got divorced, you went through a bit of a drowning-in-freedom phase." She replied. "You were pining over Ms. P, and then she married that dentist guy, and you were all black vests and bad raps."

"You do wear a lot of vests, Mr. Schue." Noah nodded.

"And then you dated my mom, which was weird." Rachel mused. "Seriously, when she told me that, I thought I was going to flip out."

"You dated Shelby?" Quinn asked, and Mr. Schue nodded, his head in a hand. "That's all kinds of creepy."

"They bonded over their mutual show choir coach status." Santana said, and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," Mr. Schuester said, desperate to change the subject, "Quinn, what were your least and favorite parts of glee?"

"I hated when Coach Sylvester asked us to sabotage the club." She said. "But my favorite part, definitely, was when Artie first walked." Everyone nodded, and she looked up her boyfriend, smiling.

"You're making me rethink my cutest couple vote." Blaine muttered, and they laughed.

"My least favorite part… hm, I think Finn's stupid storm-outs sucked." Artie thought. "They definitely rivaled Rachel's diva fits."

"Preach." Santana raised her hand, and Artie scowled playfully.

"That's my line." Artie said, but he smiled after. "My favorite part though was probably hearing our name at Nationals. It made our win all the more real, tangible."

"Poetic." Santana said, snarky.

"I'll poetic your face." Artie threatened, and Santana raised an eyebrow.

"That doesn't even make sense." She laughed, and he shrugged, smiling.

"What about you, Mike?" Artie asked, still smiling as he turned to his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend. He and Mike had gotten over their differences and were great friends, now that Tina and Mike were happy together, and Artie was in love with Quinn.

"My favorite part… was probably 'Valerie'." Mike said. "Santana sounded awesome, and I really liked dancing with Brittany."

"What about your least favorite part?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"Whenever any of us fought," Mike said, "it just made me sad to think that we couldn't get along." He shrugged. Everyone nodded at his answer, some smiling. Mr. Schuester nodded, clapping Mike on the back.

"What about you, Tina?" The teacher asked, and Tina nodded.

"I didn't like all the slushies we got, but I liked when we all banded together and stopped them." She replied.

"I liked that too, when we stood up to the hockey team." Sam said. "And I liked when we burst into song randomly in the middle of practice." They laughed at that and nodded. "But I didn't like when those people made that joke about Kurt at prom."

"Oh, I hated that. But I liked how Blaine danced with him." Mercedes smiled. "I also liked singing 'Take Me or Leave Me' with Rachel," Mercedes added, and Rachel high-fived her, "but my least favorite part was when Karofsky hurt my boy."

"He's alright now." Kurt shrugged. "After he came out, he was nicer to me. But the bullying was my least favorite part. And it wasn't just bullying towards me, but to everyone. I just wished that it would end. But now it's better, and that makes me happy."

"What about your favorite part?" Blaine asked.

"My favorite part, definitely, was eating breakfast at Tiffany's with Rachel."

"What?" Mr. Schuester asked, and Rachel and Kurt laughed.

"Oops." Rachel shrugged.

"I plead the fifth!" Kurt exclaimed, and everyone laughed.

"My girl broke a rule?" Noah asked, and Rachel nodded. "You just went from super-hot to supermegafoxyawesomehot."

"I love that word!" Blaine exclaimed, pointing at Noah, who laughed with his girlfriend. "I didn't like when I found out the way Kurt was treated here, but I really liked dancing with him at prom and showing them that we didn't care." All the glee kids smiled and applauded Blaine's answer.

"What about you, Mr. Schue?" Mercedes asked. "What were your least and most favorite parts of glee?"

"Well," he thought, "when I saw the looks on your faces when Vocal Adrenaline won Regionals, it crushed me. It wasn't sad or upset, it was just… disappointed. I couldn't help but feel like I'd gotten your hopes up and let you down." He shrugged. "But winning Nationals made up for it." Everyone smiled and nodded. "However, my favorite part is definitely right now. We're all sitting in a circle on the floor of our rehearsal room, and we're talking about our favorite moments. That just makes me happy, to see all of us relaxing and acting like children even though you're graduating tomorrow." He smiled, and everyone leaned on someone, all connected somehow. "And I really liked when we sang 'You and I' by Ingrid Michaelson."

"I want to sing that again!" Brittany raised her hand, and everyone laughed. "Can we please sing it one more time? Can that be the last song before we graduate?"

"How about it?" Mr. Schue asked, and everyone cheered. He walked over to the piano and grabbed his ukulele. He tuned it and sat down, strumming. Brittany sang the first two lines, and Santana sang the third line with her. Then, they repeated the pattern with the fourth, fifth, and sixth lines, but switched.

_Don't you worry there, my honey_

_We might not have any money_

_But we've got our love to pay the bills_

_Maybe I think you're cute and funny_

_Maybe I want to do what bunnies do_

_With you, if you know what I mean_

Rachel sang the first two lines, then Quinn sang the third and fourth. Tina took the fifth, Mercedes took the sixth, and all the girls sang the last two lines.

_Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents_

_Homes in the south of France_

_Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters_

_And teach them how to dance_

_Let's get rich and build a house on a mountain_

_Making everybody look like ants_

_And way up there, you and I_

_You and I_

Sam sang the first line, Mercedes took the second, and Noah sang the third, his arms around Rachel as he rocked them on the floor. Kurt sang the fourth to Blaine, who sang the fifth, and Artie and Mike sang together on the sixth.

_Well you might be a bit confused_

_And you might be a little bit bruised_

_But baby, how we spoon like no one else_

_So I will help you read those books_

_If you will soothe my worried looks_

_And we will put the lonesome on the shelf_

Everyone sang together, including Mr. Schue, for the next chorus. They all sang the line, making it a simple melody. There was no harmonization, nothing fancy, just simple singing. Blaine and Kurt held hands while Artie kissed Quinn's hand, which was intertwined with his. Sam put his arm around Mercedes, and Brittany rested her head on Santana's shoulder as the Latina put her head on top of the girls, playing with their hands. Mike and Tina intertwined their outstretched legs, and Noah and Rachel sang to each other, his chin resting on his shoulder and her head resting on his shoulder.

_Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents_

_Homes in the south of France_

_Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters_

_And teach them how to dance_

_Let's get rich and build a house on a mountain_

_Making everybody look like ants_

_And way up there, you and I_

_You and I_

Mr. Schue cut out the ukulele as everyone clapped the floor twice then they clapped their hands once. Noah whispered the lines in Rachel's ear, and she shivered. It was a sad day for most people, knowing that some of the best years of their lives were over, and now they had to focus on being adults. But for the glee club, it wasn't sad. It was a great day. Mr. Schue's words reminded them that, not only were they a close-knit group, but no matter what the distance, they would never lose each other. The past three years had changed the lives of everyone in the room; people had loved, lost, made mistakes, and fixed them. Be it falling in love with your best friend or ending up with the last person you were expected to end up with, it ended the way it was supposed to. But no matter whom they ended up with, all the glee kids knew one thing. Glee club wasn't just a club; it was a family. And families could live on opposite sides of the world, but it was still a family. And in five, ten, or twenty years, the glee kids would still be talking to each other, having their barbecues. They would bring their kids to the parties, introduce their nieces and nephews, and reunite every year in a way that only families did. And even if they lost touch for a year or two, it was okay. Because they still had the most important aspect of a family that made glee club so special. Everyone in glee club loved everyone. Romantically or not, everyone loved every single person in that room in a special important way, and that made everything okay.

_Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents_

_Homes in the south of France_

_Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters_

_And teach them how to dance_

_Let's get rich and build a house on a mountain_

_Making everybody look like ants_

_And way up there, you and I_

_You and I_

* * *

><p><strong>Now, tell me that was not ADORABLE? I said "family" a lot, so I had to compensate by putting it in the title... not sure how that works, but it did in my head. Regardless, I also apologize if it got a little weird around the end of the Nationals performance-I wrote it at three in the morning central time, and when I get tired, my A.D.D. kicks in and... well, you read the Author's Note. It's just a hot damn mess.<strong>

**Alright, thanks for reading! R&R for cute Puckleberry, Brittana, Quartie (such a random, cute couple, but it's good because Artie can't have Tina or Brittany-don't mess with Brittana's sapphic power or Chang Squared's Asian fusion), Chang Squard, Samcedes, and Klaine! I love, love, love all those pairings, and I just had to make a fic with ALL of them, so I did.**

**Team flashback, assemble!**

**Alternate Ego: Just shut up. Just. Shut. Up.**

**Hehe... woot.**

**Oh, and R&R all you AVPM fans who laughed at Blaine's reaction to supermegafoxyawesomehot. ;)**


End file.
